Kicker mechanism for printing machines



Dem 30, 1969 1 J, MGDQNALD 3,486,426

KIGKER MEGHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINES FlGd May 5, 1968 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 3o, 1969 J, J, MCONALD 3,486,426

KICKER MECHANISM `FOR PRINTING MACHINES Filed May 5, 1968. .3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 30, 1969' J, J, |v|cD0|\1/.\| D` v 3,486,426

KIcxER MECHANISM Fon PRINTING MACHINES Filed May :5, 1968 .5 sheets-sheet s INVENTOR. jow/v Z Mc www United States Patent O 3 486 426 KICKER MECHANISMFOll PRINTING MACHINES John J. McDonald, Park Ridge, NJ., assignor to James Talcott, Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed May 3, 1968, Ser. No. 726,365 Int. Cl. B6Sh 33/00; B65b 57/02, 57/20 U.S. Cl. 93-93 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A kicker mechanism for displacing a counted copy in a stream of folded newspapers having a solenoid mounted on a bracket and located between a pair of delivery fans. The solenoid is actuated by a counter device at predetermined intervals.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to high speed rotary printing machines and more particuarly to the delivery system of a folder unit in such a machine.

In delivery systems for newspapers and the like the folded papers are deposited from a fan. onto a conveyor and there carried in overlapped relation to a countering or mailing room. It is the usual practice to displace at equal intervals a predetermined copy in the delivery stream so as to facilitate the recognition of batches having an equal number of copies for easy counting, stacking and wrapping.

The means by which this displaced copy is so disposed is commonly referred to as a kicken This device usually comprises a syste-m for counting copies and at a predetermined counted interval a copy is kicked out by an arm or lever dropping into the space between a pair of delivery fans and interrupting the normal deposit of a copy from the fan to the conveyor so that it falls onto the conveyor in a somewhat cocked position.

The actuation of the lever or arm into the stream of copies has been accomplished by purely mechanical means as shown for example in Foster Patent No. 2,161,033 and by a combination of mechanical and electrical means as shown for example in Wood Patent No. 2,048,765. These prior art kickers, as exemplified by the above mentioned patents, have become inadequate to accurately count and kick out the proper copy in modern high speed presses. The response time of both type kickers is not fast enough to kick out the proper copy due to the large mass of the lever arm and other components. Invariably the kicker will be late and thejwr'ong copy will he kicked out resulting in inaccurate counts and batches with unequal numbers of copies.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a Simple and economical kicker having a response time which is quick enough to effectively operate to kick out the proper copy at the correct interval in modern high speed presses. This has 4been accomplished by replacing the movement of large and heavy lever arms and complicated gearing systems with a short quick stroke of a solenoid armature placed between a pair of delivery fans.

Other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description in connection with the accompanying drawings.

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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a section taken along lines 1-1 of FIG. 5 showing the delivery system of a rotary printing press with the kicker of the present invention incorporated therein;

FIG. 2 is view taken along lines 2--2 of FIG. 1 and showing the position of a kicked-out copy;

FIG. 3 is a partial section taken along lines 3 3 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the electrical system used in actuating the present invention; and

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the mechanism of FIG. 3 from the left and showing the position of the kicker of the present invention between a pair of fans.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In FIG. 1 there is shown a typical delivery system as shown and described in the above mentioned Foster patent for a rotary printing press. The printed Vpapers 1G are folded off the folding cylinder 12 by folding blade 14 into folding off-rollers 16 and 18, and into a pocket 22 formed 1by extending ngers 24 of a plurality of fans 20. The fans are mounted on a shaft 26 rotatably journaled in the side frames of the machine. The papers are carried down and around the fan as the shaft 26 rotates, and are guided by guide 28 and pushed out of the pocket 22 by a series of strippers 30 onto a set of conveyor belts 34 to be carried to the mail room. The strippers 30 have a heel portion 36 for engaging the folded edge of the paper so as to stop its carriage in the fan and to push it out of the pocket as the fans continue to rotate. Each stripper is carried in a xed position on -rod 32 and is located alongside each delivery fan so that the paper engages each stripper at the same time resulting in a parallel and overlapped relation of the pape edges on the conveyor.

The kick mechanism, as embodied in the present invention, is also carried on rod 32 and comprises a frame 38 secured to rod 32 by a split block clamp 40, 41 the two halves thereof being held together by bolts 42. The half 40 of the clamp 40, 41 is preferably an integral part of the frame 38, but may be otherwise suitably secured thereto.

The lower end of the frame 38 is provided with a U- shaped section 44, forming the upper portion of a solenoid frame. The lower portion 48 of the solenoid frame is attached to the upper portion by bolts 46. Carried in the lower portion 48 is a solenoid coil 50. Passing through both the frame 48 and coil 50` is an armature 52. The

upper end 53 of the armature also passes through a sleeve 56 in the U-shaped section 44 and is attached to a spring 54 for assisting in the return movement of the armature after it has been extended to kick out a copy. The upper end of the spring is attached to a threaded rod 58 which passes through an extended leg 60 of the frame 38 and is retained by a nut 62. The spring 54 urges the rod 58 downward and nut 62 abutting against leg 60f holds the rod back.

The tension in the spring and therefore the force exerted on the armature 52 to return it to its normal or unextended position can be varied by turning the nut 62 to vary the length of rod between the leg 60 and the spring 54. It i-s necessary that the armature be rapidly returned so as not to interfere with the next delivered copy. The proper return force can be obtained by adjusting the spring tension.

A kicker foot 64 is attached to the lower end of armature 52 by bolt 66. FIGS. 3 and 5 show the armature in its normal or unextended position while FIG. l (and dotted lines of FIG. 5) shows the armature extended with foot 64 engaging the folded edge of a paper carried in the fan. The kicker mechanism is located between the two outside fans of the plurality of fans of which there may be four or five. When the foot is extended it acts to kick out of place one side of the appropriate copy thereby displacing it into the position shown in FIG. 2.

The armature is caused to be extended by energizing coil 50. This is accomplished by a signal initiated by a counter device 66 and transmitted to an amplifier and relay circuit 68. The counter is geared to the speed of the press and can be set to initiate the signal at almost any interval. When the counter has reached the set interval, a proximity sensor or micro limit switch is actuated and produces the required signal. Although a mechanical means in contact with the delivered papers such as shown in Pedersen et al. Patent No. 3,057,260 may be used satisfactorily instead of a counter and proximity sensor, it has been found that the proximity sensor is more efficient. When the signal is received by the amplifier and relay circuit it operates to close the circuit supplying the required energizing voltage to the solenoid coil. The operating voltage at which the solenoid will be driven is controlled by a powerstat 70 (e.g., tapped autotransformer). Satisfactory results have been attained by using a coil rated at 110 volts A.C. Since the duration of the voltage application to the coil is extremely short (in the millisecond range) it is necessary to impress an over voltage condition on the coil to insure sufiicient speed of the armature travel (approximately one inch) when the coil is energized. Using a coil with a rating as mentioned above it has been found that an application of 140150 volts A.C. across the coil has produced good results.

To insure that the solenoid would not operate unless the press is running, a press drive interlock switch 72 is placed in the line L4 between the powerstat 70 and the source of operating line voltage L3, L4 (208 volts A.C.). This switch will close when the press is at running speed. L1, L2 supply 110 volts A.C. to the amplifier circuit to drive same.

When the solenoid coil 50 has been energized by the signal from the counter mechanism the armature 52 will be caused to travel downwards a distance of approximately one inch so that the foot 64 engages the folded edge of a paper being carried in a pocket 22 of the fans 20. The kicker being placed only one side of the plurality of fans will cause the kicked copy to be displaced on the conveyor. The signal is of such a short duration that armature 52 will be withdrawn, with the assistance of return spring 38, to its normal position in adequate time so that it does not interfere with the normal delivery of the next folded copy.

It can be seen from the foregoing description that a very simple kicker mechanism using a solenoid with an over voltage condition to operate it has been provided to displace a counted copy which avoids the disadvantages of having to move large members which would sacrifice speed of operation such as has been prevalent in prior art devices.

While the invention has been described and illustrated with respect to a certain preferred embodiment which gives satisfactory results, it will be understood by those skilled in the art after understanding the principle of the invention that various other changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and it is intended therefore to cover all such changes and modifications in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a delivery mechanism of a rotary printing machine the combination comprising a plurality of fan wheels having a plurality of pockets on their periphery formed by spirally extending fingers for receiving and carrying folded paper products from a folder unit, said fans being mounted on a rotatable shaft journalled in the side frames of the machine, stripper means mounted on a bar located outside the circumference of said fans and parallel to said shaft for pushing said folded products out of said pockets, said strippers being located inbetween each pair of said plurality of fans, means mounted adjacent to the fans for receiving said folded products from said pockets, a kicker mechanism supported between a single pair of said fans comprising, a solenoid having a coil and an armature passing therethrough directed into the path of travel of said folded products as they are carried 4by said fans so that said armature engages the folded edge of at least one of said folded products on one side thereof when said solenoid coil is energized so as to displace the kicked product onto the receiving means, and means for energizing said solenoid at predetermined intervals and for a predetermined period of time so that said coil is deenergized when the next copy is delivered.

2. The delivery mechanism according to claim 1 further comprising a bracket for supporting said solenoid mounted on said stripper bar, and biasing means attached at its lower end to said armature for assisting in the return 0f said armature to its normal position after said coil is deenergized.

3. The delivery mechanism according to claim 2 further comprising a threaded rod adjustably disposed in said bracket and attached to the upper end of said biasing means for varyingthe amount of return force exerted by said biasing means on said armature.

4. The deliverymechanism according to claim 3 wherein said biasing means comprises a coil spring.

5. The delivery mechanism according to claim 3 wherein the length of travel of said armature is approximately one inch.

`6. The delivery mechanism according to claim 3 wherein said means for energizing said solenoid coil comprises a counter device for determining the interval at which a copy is to be kicked and for producing a signal at said interval to indicate the presence of the copy to be kicked, and an amplifier and relay circuit which operates in response to said signal to impress the energizing voltage on said coil.

7. The delivery mechanism according to claim 6 further comprising means for controlling said energizing voltage so that said voltage is in excess of the rated operating voltage of said coil to insure sufficient speed of operation.

8. The delivery mechanism according to claim 7 further comprising a proximity sensor in said counter device for sensing the presence of the copy to be kicked.

9. A kicker mechanism for use in displacing a folded product at predetermined intervals as it is deposited from a pocket of a set of delivery fans onto a conveyor means comprising a bracket mounted on a rod adjacent said fans and running parallel to the transverse axis of Said delivery fans, said bracket being located 4between one pair of said fans, a solenoid coil supported at one end of said bracket, an armature passing through said coil and said bracket and extending downwardly a distance of approximately one inch so as to engage the folded edge of said product as it is being delivered from said pockets when said coil is energized, a coil spring attached at one end thereof to the upper end of said armature for assisting in rapidly returning said armature to its normal position after said coil is denergized, a threaded rod attached to the other end of said spring and adjustably retained in the other end of said bracket by a nut so as to permit variation in the tension of the spring thereby permitting adjustment in the return force on said armature, and means for energizing said coil at predetermined intervals for a predetermined period of time comprising counter means determining the interval at which a copy is to be kicked, a

5 6 switch actuated by said counter means to produce a signal 3,088,604 5/ 1963 Nilsson. when said counter indicates that the predetermined inter- 3,273,305 9/ 1966 Dreeben 53-78 val has been reached, and an amplifier and relay circuit 3,418,895 12/ 1968 Palmer. for transmitting the required voltage impulse to said coil 3,431,828 3/ 1969 Crawford.

FOREIGN PATENTS 610,563 12/1960 Canada.

WAYNE A. MORSE, JR., Primary Examiner References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Re.24,615 3/1959 Zemov 93-93 10 U-S- Cl- X-R 2,693,742 11/1954 Hartman 93-93 X 53-70178 2,977,734 4/1961 Pearce 9'3-93 X 

